Grammar Errors Impede the Initiatives of One Scrupulous Citizen

Grammatical errors
can form significant barriers to effective communication. They can also get in
the way of civic duty.

According to
the Press-Enterprise, the written protests of a vocal critic of a local
councilwoman have been repeatedly rejected because of his grammatical errors.
Retiree John Smelser will need submit a third version of his forms for the
recall of Menifee city councilwoman Darcy Kuenzi after his first two
submissions were rejected. He also failed to include Kuenzi's council title in
his forms, the news source notes.

Speaking to
the paper, city registrar Rebecca Spencer noted that a citizen's written notice
of intention for a recall must have flawless grammar to be able to enter the
public record as a petition. Kuenzi will be able to submit her rebuttal to the
recall notice - that is, if Smelser's grammar proves passable.

Written
recalls of local public officials are common. Last November, the residents of
Bell City, California, served notices to council members which explained the
reasons for their recall, according to a report on CBSnews.com. After a
necessary number of registered voters signed the petition, the city mayor, vice
mayor and one councilman were ousted.

Individuals
who plan to submit text that may be widely read might find grammar and spelling
checks to be extremely useful.